


and they were roommates (oh my god they were roommates)

by buffylovesfaith



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/F, season 4 au kind of, side willow/tara, this is me being too lazy to write plot OR porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:00:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffylovesfaith/pseuds/buffylovesfaith
Summary: Three drinks and some admittedly flirtatious (but mostly one sided!) banter later, Buffy and Faith are on the dance floor. Buffy doesn’t even think she had to be dragged out here. That can’t be good.Faith and Buffy, college roommates AU.
Relationships: Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68





	and they were roommates (oh my god they were roommates)

Buffy groans as she takes a seat, joining Willow at the cafeteria table. 

Willow winces in support before she even looks up from the paper she’s marking with a highlighter. “Faith?”

“Who else?”

“What did she do this time?”

“I saw her with some girl, making out on the quad like she didn’t have a care in the world, in front of everyone. People were staring!”

“...Oh?” That’s not what Willow had been expecting. She’s used to Buffy’s tales of Faith antagonizing her, messing with her stuff, smoking in their room (out of the window, but still!) and aggressively flirting with Buffy, something she hates. Willow can’t help but notice how Buffy gets a little...uptight when the subject of Faith’s sexuality comes up.

“Buffy...I know she’s annoying, but it is okay if she likes girls. Remember me, your girl-liking best friend?”

Buffy deflates a little, looking sheepish. “Will, of course. I know that! It just reminds me that that’s all she ever thinks about!”

“Girls?” Willow asks, feeling a little guilty of the same thing. Well, one girl, in her case. Probably not Faith’s.

“Sex! It’s like...she talks about it _all_ the time. It’s really getting on my nerves. It makes me feel all...itchy. And then I, of course, can’t help thinking about it all night too! She practically drags me along on her imaginary sexcapades.”

“Wh—”

“It’s liked I’m locked in with her annoying, overactive pheromones twenty-four seven! And let me tell you, if Faith’s raging libido is anything to go by, she has a lot. Of the pheromones.”

Willow frowns. “And that bothers you?”

“Of _course_! It would bother anyone who had to room with Faith!” Buffy suddenly looks up with wide hazel eyes. “Right? Right, Will?”

Willow cocks her head, already in serious student mode. “Well, no, I don’t think so,” she says in a conversational tone, like she’s not completely freaking Buffy the hell out right now. “Either they like the pheromones, in which case this sounds like their dream come true, or they would probably be immune, so it wouldn’t bother them at all. I don’t think they would even notice.”

Buffy sighs. “You’re not helping, Willow.”

“Sorry, sorry! I’m just—babbling. You know me, science—yuck. All that stuff I just said, totally not true.”

Buffy whines as she bangs her forehead on the table. 

“Maybe you should just try to spend some time with her.”

Buffy looks up with a deadpan glare. “I live with her, Will.”

Willow shrugs casually, ignoring her slight fear of the wrath of Buffy. “I know, but I mean more...fun time. Bonding time. It could make living with her bearable, you know? Who knows, maybe you can even be friends.”

Buffy narrows her eyes, not convinced. “Oh, she would just love that.”

“Okay, never m—”

“Fine! But if something goes wrong, it’s totally your fault.”

*

Faith’s returning from the bar at the Bronze, carrying two drinks that are a suspiciously clear looking liquid and not at all pink. 

“I hope those are both for you.” Buffy frowns. “Wait no. That sounds like trouble.”

Faith grins, her dimples out in full effect. “No such luck. Drink up, blondie.”

Buffy pouts at Faith.

“Come on, roommate bonding was your idea.”

“Sometimes I’m stupid,” Buffy complains, but takes the glass Faith hands her. _Damn you, Willow._

Faith just smiles and slams her shot back. Buffy reluctantly follows suit. 

Three drinks and some admittedly flirtatious (but mostly one sided!) banter later, Buffy and Faith are on the dance floor. Buffy doesn’t even think she had to be dragged out here. That can’t be good. 

The beat is pounding through her, and somehow Faith has twined herself around Buffy, arms and hair and thighs touching her everywhere. The air in the club is warm and stale but Buffy doesn’t even seem to mind the blazing heat coming off of Faith’s body. She feels herself leaning deeper into Faith, head almost touching the brunette’s shoulder. _No! Bad!_ her thoughts scream, but her slightly inebriated body won’t listen. Damn her body. And damn Faith’s body, too. 

“This is the kind of bonding I’m talking about, B,” Faith whispers in Buffy’s ear as she grabs her hips. “I knew you just had to let go.”

“I am not “letting go”, _F_ , just dancing, as I have been known to do now and then.”

“Mmh, do you always dance like this?” Faith asks, as she pulls Buffy’s hips back into the front of her own body suggestively.

“Uh, I,” Buffy finds herself very distracted by this. “Yeah. When I feel like it.” _Usually with guys, though_ , Buffy thinks. _She’s right, I don’t think I’ve ever danced like this with Willow._ Faith just smirks and pulls her closer, burying her face in Buffy’s soft blonde hair. 

A few drinks later and they’re outside as Faith leans against the brick alley wall and smokes a cigarette. Buffy crosses her arms and waits for her. It’s annoying. It’s even more annoying that Faith looks good just casually destroying her body, smoke curling out of her mouth and dissipating into the evening air. 

Buffy wrinkles her nose. “That’s so gross.”

“Yeah?” Faith leans in, eyes squinted challengingly. Buffy can’t tell if Faith’s actually mad about what she said, only that she keeps getting closer to her. She steps back nervously, but hits the other side of the alley. She swallows. It would be really weird if she just...ran away, right?

Faith suddenly reaches out and places both arms on either side of Buffy’s body, hands against the wall by her head, essentially trapping Buffy between the building and herself. Buffy jumps slightly in surprise. Faith just smirks and raises her eyebrows, gesturing at the cigarette she’s stubbing out against the old red brick. Oh. Buffy feels stupid for her awkward reaction, and her now racing pulse. 

But Faith doesn’t move back out of Buffy’s space. Buffy can smell cigarette smoke and leather and alcohol and cheap shampoo and something else, underneath all that’s on the surface—Faith’s skin, she thinks, and her stomach swoops, bizarrely. Faith keeps staring down at her. Her smirk is gone and for once she looks completely serious. She’s peering deep into Buffy’s eyes, which, _you know what they say about the eyes being your soul. The soul is inside your eyes. Which are windows. No, windows lead to...your soul? Whatever, it’s something like that!_

During all of this mental gymnastics Buffy realizes that Faith hasn’t looked away (neither has Buffy, come to think of it—oops) and suddenly Buffy’s extremely nervous. She licks her lips, trying to look away from Faith’s gaze, but she can’t quite seem to. Faith has her hooked like a desperate, wriggling fish.

“Buffy…,” Faith murmurs, and slowly reaches out a hand—to where, Buffy will never know because she has slammed her mouth against Faith’s own. It’s too sudden for Buffy to even feel any shock at what she’s done.

Faith’s lips are warm, and plump, and soft, and still for a few stunned seconds before she throws her cigarette to the ground and grabs Buffy around the waist and gets right into the kissage. She squeezes her ass with her hands as she slips her tongue into Buffy’s mouth.

This goes on for several minutes, until at long last it registers. They’re kissing. She’s kissing Faith. She pulls away, gasping, kind of pushing Faith backwards in the process. 

Faith’s smiling teasingly, but her eyes are soft. “Still think I’m gross, B?”

“I—I—I have to go.” And with that Buffy actually _does_ run away. She stumbles forward as quickly as she can, out of the alleyway and down the street, leaving Faith standing alone in her wake. 

She lies awake for many hours, pretending to be asleep like a coward, even though Faith never comes back into their room.

*

It’s a few nights later, and Buffy wakes up to a thumping noise. She opens her eyes, and sees Faith taking her heavy boots off and throwing them onto the floor. 

“Where have you been?” Buffy’s voice is scratchy with sleep. 

“What’re you, my mom?” Faith’s slurring slightly. She gives a light laugh. “I was at a party. Some frat.”

“Oh. Thanks for the invite.”

Faith groans and flops onto her bed. “I was meeting up with someone, Buffy.”

“You meaning _hooking up_ with someone?”

“ _Yeah_ , I was. What’s it to you? You made it clear you’re not interested, so why do you care?”

“I _don’t._ ”

Buffy expects a biting rebuttal, is almost looking forward to one, but Faith just kind of sighs. “Great.”

“Yeah.”

Faith doesn’t respond, and Buffy curls her arms around her knees, burrowing into her fluffy comforter. She has a strange feeling in her stomach and can’t fall back asleep. 

*

“Willow?”

“Yeah, Buff?”

“I have a question.”

“Shoot,” Willow grins, pointing a pencil at Buffy. 

Buffy sits down nervously. “Okay. Can straight girls...be attracted to other girls? And still be straight? It’s just like...a super weird fluke? Yeah, a—a freaky fluke! Like, if someone’s _really_ hot, then it can be an exception?” she asks somewhat desperately.

Willow chokes on her turkey sandwich.

“Buffy...I’m not exactly an expert on this stuff. I mean, I only realized I liked girls a few months ago.” Her mouth falls open. “Why, are you...you know, to a girl? Tell me everything!”

Buffy blushes. “There’s nothing to tell! Anyway, how did you realize? Was it when you were, like, next to her? Were you super close together and then—”

“Buffy!’

“ _Please_ , Will, I need to know. I’m having a...problem.”

“Faith?”

Buffy’s head snaps up. “Why do you say that?”

“W-well, usually you say the word “problem” and it’s about Faith.”

“Oh. Right. I don’t want to talk about it just—please, Will.”

“Okay, well. I—I liked her. I liked being around her.”

Buffy snorts. “Well, I definitely don’t have to worry about that,” she mutters to herself. 

“She made me feel different than anyone else has. And yes, I thought about her...that way, sometimes. In a respectful way, of course.”

Buffy chews on her lip, looking more and more concerned by the minute.

“Maybe we should ask Tara about this,” Willow suggests. “She’s helped me out with some questions I’ve had. And if you want to know about like...positions, she—”

“God, no!” Buffy exclaims. She thinks of the possible humiliation and buries her head in her hands.

*

Tara frowns. “Well, I—I’m sure that can happen. Everyone’s experience is valid. Is this something...you’re feeling? Y—you don’t have to answer that,” she continues hurriedly when Buffy doesn’t respond right away. 

“I—I don’t know. I think so. She makes me feel—annoyed. Bothered. And, like, flushed. I want to hit her, but then I want to—touch her, too.” Buffy’s face must actually be on fire by now.

Tara nods noncommitally. “Hmm.”

“I know I’m straight. I like guys. I’ve never felt this way about any girl before. So. God, this is all Faith’s fault! I don’t know why she has to be like that.”

Willow squeaks, but keeps her mouth shut with some effort. Buffy shoots her a grateful look.

“How do you feel about her, Buffy?

Buffy blinks. “I—she irritates me. She always pushes me. Makes me think about stuff I don’t want to.”

“Do you like it?” Tara asks softly, staring at her with unblinking, understanding-looking eyes. 

Buffy’s mouth opens but no words come out. 

Tara continues. “Maybe it is just a one time thing, that’s completely okay. But Buffy...it’s okay if you are really attracted to her, too. It’s possible to like guys _and_ girls. Its called b—being bisexual. If you like her, even a little, even if it’s confusing, or new, or scary, it’s okay. We won’t judge you.” She gestures with her head to where her and Willow’s hands are clasped together, and Willow giggles giddily. 

Buffy deflates. “I know, you guys. I hope you don’t feel like I’m...not okay with you being together. Really, that’s not it.”

Tara shakes her head. “It’s always hard, trying to figure yourself out. I understand.”

Buffy sinks down. “That’s it, though. I thought I knew who I was. Buffy. Blonde. Likes cute clothes. Homecoming queen. Usually dates traditionally attractive, popular males. Probably going to get married and have a small house and 2.5 babies by the time I’m thirty.”

“You can still have all those things,” Tara says in a reassuring tone.

“Not with _Faith_.”

Willow eyes widen comically.

“Not that I want to marry Faith! That’s not what I meant! I just…don’t know how to be the kind of person who would sle—date Faith. Should I buy more flannel?”

Willow snorts. Tara says, “you can just be yourself.”

Buffy isn’t completely convinced, even as she gives her thanks to her best friend’s girlfriend, and gets up to leave.

*

“Faith.”

Faith grunts. 

“Can I talk to you?”

“Nobody’s stopping you.”

Right. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch.”

Faith shrugs lethargically, still facing away from Buffy. “S’okay. I have been giving you a hard time. I just thought…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Buffy’s not going to do that. Not anymore. “Faith I…you’ve just really freaked me out.”

“I get it. You’re uncomfortable with my ‘alternative lifestyle’.” Faith uses sarcastic air quotes. “I’ll keep it to their rooms from now on, ‘k? And we can just forget about...y’know. What happened. It’s cool. No big deal.”

Buffy almost lets it go for now, but she summons all of her bravery. She shakes her head slowly. “No, that’s not…. I’m—I’m just not used to feeling...this way.” She reaches out and lays the tips of her fingers on Faith’s wrist, where she can feel a little snap of electricity spark between their skin.

“I think I am, you know, _into_ you. I wouldn’t have to fight it so hard if I wasn’t. I was mad at you for...making me realize that about myself. But it’s not your fault. I’m sorry.”

Faith freezes for a few long seconds, then releases a slow breath and turns to face Buffy. She cracks a small smirk. “Probably wouldn’t’ve realized it if I hadn’t pushed so hard. So, uh, sorry ‘bout that. I was sure I was feelin’ something from you though, in my defense. Turns out I was right, huh? Gotta say that’s a mind fuck and a half. Me being right about something.”

Buffy rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “Maybe I would have realized, maybe not. But I can’t say I’m _completely_ upset about feeling this way. If you’re as good as you say you are….” She raises her eyebrows meaningfully.

Faith’s grinning really big now. “So...okay. We’re hot for each other. We gonna make something of it?”

Buffy clears her throat. “I, um, don’t know how to do any of this stuff. The…lesbian. Stuff. Uh, lesbian stuff.”

Faith’s grin is practically a leer. “Don’t worry, I do.” She looks Buffy up and down. “Plus I wouldn’t worry about it if I was you, B. I’m pretty positive you’re gonna be fuckin’ fantastic.”

And now Faith is approaching her, and Buffy’s nerves are reaching panic mode. Faith looks extremely happy about all of this. She rests a hot hand on Buffy’s bare thigh, sending a zing all the way up Buffy’s spine and into the base of her skull. She leans in, pressing her lips to Buffy’s. Buffy’s mouth opens before her brain consents and she grabs onto Faith’s plump bottom lip with her teeth.

“ _Mmm_.” Faith lets out a deep groan. Her tongue sweeps Buffy’s, making Buffy’s stomach drop, and she sinks down lower onto her bed. Faith doesn’t hesitate in clamboring on top of her, knees on either side of Buffy’s waist. She grins down at her. 

“You ready?”

“Yeah?” Buffy’s not sure why it kind of sounds like a question. She clears her throat. 

Faith frowns slightly. “You sure? I don’t want to pressure you here.”

“I’m sure.” And boy, is she. Or at least, her body is. She can feel heat racing all through her veins, pooling in her stomach, pulsing in her wrists. Her mind’s kind of freaking out right now, though. “I’m just kind of nervous. I don’t really know what I should do.”

“Oh.” Faith’s face relaxes again. “B, it’s real easy. Instinct, you know?”

“What if I don’t have _the instinct_?”

“Everybody has _the instinct_ , B. We’re all just a bunch of animals.” Faith’s voice is a deep and seductive rasp by the end of her sentence. 

Buffy chews on her lip. “Can we just go slow?”

“Uh. Sure.” Faith whips her jean jacket off. “One layer at a time.” She looks at Buffy’s sweater meaningfully. 

Buffy blushes slightly as she shrugs out of her white cotton wrap, even though all that Faith can see are her bronzed shoulders and collarbones. She feels Faith’s eyes lingering on her body, darting between exposed bits of skin. Her stare burns straight into Buffy. Faith’s gaze has always felt so heavy and intense to Buffy, full of more meaning than it should, and feeling the full effect here is...wow. And they aren’t even doing anything yet. Buffy feels a rush of intense heat, and she pulls Faith towards her by her wrists. Faith doesn’t hesitate for more than a second, and kisses her thoroughly. It feels like she’s reaching every part of Buffy from the inside out. Buffy can’t stop a little whimper from escaping. 

Faith is holding her around the waist tightly, as one of her hands fingers the edge of Buffy’s shirt. Her palm tickles the soft skin of Buffy’s stomach, then smoothly slides up to the ridge of her bra. She cups Buffy’s breast as she darts her tongue roughly into her mouth. Buffy whimpers again, louder this time. She’s a little embarrassed, but if anything it seems to make Faith grip her harder, which is definitely not of the bad. Faith’s thumb is rubbing Buffy’s nipple through the silky fabric, and Buffy realizes her hips have started moving in time with each stroke. Faith’s movements have gotten faster too, and her next squeeze of Buffy’s breast is more firm and insistent, like she’s lost some of her cool. She pulls away from Buffy’s lips, and rests her head on her shoulder. Her breath hits Buffy’s skin in hot bursts, making her shiver.

“Ready for the next level, B?” Faith pants.

Buffy doesn’t answer, just puts her hand on top of Faith’s and yanks her own bra out of the way, resting Faith’s fingers on her breast.

“I was thinking we’d take the shirt off, but this works fine for me.” Faith smirks, her eyes dark with arousal.

“Shh. Too slow. I want you to touch me.” 

Faith grins. “Thought you wanted to go slo—” her annoyingness is cut off by Buffy’s mouth. Faith grunts, and quickly slides both hands under Buffy’s pink bra, palming both of her breasts as she sucks on Buffy’s tongue. Her thigh slides up, between Buffy’s skirt-clad knees, and Buffy gasps into Faith’s half open mouth. 

“This okay?” Faith mumbles out, with some effort. 

“Yeah,” Buffy moans breathily. She tries to move subtly against the rough fabric of Faith’s jeans. Faith notices and doesn’t make her wait, slipping a hand down between their bodies and rubbing on Buffy in short, precise motions where she’s already wet. Buffy widens her legs slightly, pushing the slight wave of self-consciousness away. Faith keeps touching her and presses a kiss into her neck, scraping with her teeth and then sucking harshly. Buffy’s hips jerk up as she grunts. 

Faith’s lips pull away from Buffy’s neck with a wet smack.

“Mmm, _fuck_ , I—I wanna touch you, Buffy,” she practically growls. “Yeah, can I?”

Buffy nods rapidly, pushing at Faith’s shoulders lightly ‘til she rises off of her, and whipping her shirt and bra off together in one go. Her pants and underwear follow quickly.

“Fuck, B, you’re so fuckin’ hot,” Faith swears roughly, eyes dragging up and down Buffy’s body, like she doesn’t know where to look, bouncing between her face and tits and pussy.

“Yeah?” Buffy wants to ask how she measures up against the other girls, but that would maybe kill the mood. 

“Hell, yeah.” Faith grabs Buffy by the hips and pulls her back down to the bed. “You ready for me to rock your whole world?”

*

“So…,” Faith grins sleepily and stretches out on the messy sheets, arms over her head. “We’re definitely gonna do that again, right? Like, every fucking day?”

“I guess. I mean, next time you’re available,” Buffy snips. Now that they did _that_ , Buffy’s feeling kind of...well, really freaking good, to be honest. Warm and loose. Giddy, almost. But also jealous. Yeah, jealous is probably the word.

“Huh?”

“Like, next time you can fit me into your busy schedule.”

“Babe, I got all the time in the world for _you_.”

“Hmph, really? How does that work?”

Faith looks confused. “Yeah, ‘course. Why not?”

“Oh...I just thought...don’t you have, you know, other girls and stuff?”

Faith shrugs. “Nothin’ I can’t lose.”

“Oh.”

Faith suddenly takes note of the not super ecstatic tone in the room and shrinks a little bit. “But, uh, hey, B, no pressure. I didn’t mean anything by that. This can totally be a one time deal. We both got what we wanted, right?”

“Oh.” Now Buffy sounds even less happy. 

“Stop saying oh,” Faith almost snaps. 

Buffy shakes her head. “Sorry. I’m just a little surprised. I mean, I thought you were like...woman around campus.”

“Are you callin’ me a slut?”

“No! But, I mean...I have caught you in the act with several women. We share a room. And a bathroom.”

Faith inclines her head. “True. But you haven’t seen them around more than once, have you? I don’t ask them for seconds.”

“Not like me.”

“Not like you. I...kinda have a thing for you, B. I thought you knew. Was it not wicked obvious?”

Buffy is stunned, thinking back to all the times Faith flirted with her, but then also all the times she went off with someone else. Her mouth falls open but nothing comes out. She just shakes her head.

Faith eyebrows rise in surprise. “You seriously couldn’t tell? I was like, obsessed. Kennedy was telling me I was getting pathetic, pining away for some unattainable straight girl who hated me and shit.”

Buffy blinks. Several times.

“So, am I?” Faith asks.

“What?”

“Pathetic.”

Buffy stops moving. “No! Annoying, yes.” She elbows Faith, trying to make her laugh, get back some of their usual light flirtiness. 

Faith smiles softly at the joke, but doesn’t get distracted. “Come on, Buffy. Seriously. Do you...like me, like at all?”

“What? Of course! Do you think I’ll just jump into bed with anyone? Uh, not that there’s anything wrong with—”

Faith brushes her off. “Okay, but not just as a roommate or a friend or a, you know, general decent human being.”

“I wouldn’t say decent—”

“Buffy.”

Buffy chews her lip, taking a few moments to think before she answers. “So...I’m not just a notch on your bedpost? A...challenge?”

“Do you seriously think I’d go to this much effort if you were? It’s not like I really have to try hard with most girls….”

“Unfortunately, that is true.” Buffy rolls her eyes. “So it’s... _really_ not just about sex for you?”

“Well, it can be. I’m kinda waitin’ on you here, B.”

Buffy thinks about how she hates when Faith sleeps with other people, and how maybe it’s not just because she’s a prude. How sex with Faith was amazing (like seriously, she came harder than she ever has before), but it’s Faith’s rough kisses that make her heart flutter wildly and her breath stutter inside her chest. Thinks about Faith’s smirk and her voice and her obnoxious personality. How she manages to be cool and aloof, and yet super cute and actually kind of sweet and caring, as it turns out. The way she won’t let Buffy get away with anything. She didn’t take her crap, her excuses, and she wouldn’t let Buffy fool herself into living the kind of safe, boring life that she’d probably regret. 

Buffy glances down shyly, fiddling with a hole in her blanket. “I...want it to not just be about sex. If you want. But also the sex. But maybe we can go to a movie?”

Faith laughs, a full, happy sound. “Sure thing, B, but only if you stay this cute.” And she leans in for another kiss. It has just the right amount of bite.


End file.
